sacred. These rules of the game are enforced by older children and adults and are thus, externally imposed. Piaget said further: Moral constraint is akin to intellectual constraint and the strictly literal character which the child tends to ascribe to rules received from without bears … a close resemblance to the attitudes he adopts with regard to language and the intellecttual realities imposed on him by the adult.48 Therefore, this age group typically equates “good”, “right” or “wrong” with strict obedience to rules, with a moral realism that induces an objective conception of responsibility. Intentions of actions are not considered, but the actions themselves are considered as they conform to or violate rules. It follows then that parents are doing untold harm to the moral development of their children at this age if they violate existing rules in their children’s presence. This violation can range from breaking highway rules, not paying school fees when they are due or even breaking rules within the home setting. For example, if parents make it a rule for everybody to be home by 8p.m., it would be doing violence to their children’s moral development to come home at later hours without any explanation from the parents. Significantly, this is also the age group of children’s transition from primary to secondary school. One recalls some years back when the son of a (now) retired professor did not make the cut off mark to be invited for interview for admission into the International School here on campus. Because the professor was very vocal on campus and was also a member of the ISI Governing Board, the school authorit decided to invite the son for interview “so as not to look for trouble”. But that was when they got into trouble because this professor went to ISI and threatened to take them 48
Jean Piaget (1966) The moral judgment of the child, (Trans Marjorie Gabain) New York, The Free Press, P. 110.
52